Engage

    Eyes on the Street is the place for news, conversation, and engagement about Philadelphia’s built environment.

    For Eyes on the Street to thrive, the conversations here have to be real and your participation is key. This blog is a platform where people who care about planning and development in Philadelphia can share their observations, inspirations, and questions. It’s a place to connect with and learn from one another in an ongoing dialogue about Philadelphia’s future.

    Want to jump into the conversation? Here’s how:

    SEND A TIP:

    If there’s something that you think Eyes on the Street should cover, let me know. Email me your story ideas, observations and news at eyesonthestreet@planphilly.com with “Tip” in the email subject line.

    SHARE YOUR NEWS:

    Eyes on the Street is a place where community groups, nonprofit organizations, and public entities can share neighborhood news, event notices, and special campaigns. Tell me what’s on your agenda, and I’ll help get the word out. Keep Eyes on the Street in the loop by sending your information via email at eyesonthestreet@planphilly.com. If there’s a poster for your event, feel free to share that as a PDF as well.

    WRITE FOR Eyes on the Street:

    Expertise comes in many forms, and Eyes on the Street values the role of many voices in shaping the news. This blog is a place for your voice to be heard as a Community Contributor or a Citizen Reporter.

    BE A COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTOR:

    Eyes on the Street is a place to examine planning and design issues from a variety of angles. If you are someone who works to shape this city’s built-environment – as a design professional, developer, advocate, public employee, or volunteer – you can be a Community Contributor for Eyes on the Street.

    Community Contributors write guest posts offering their insights, informed opinions, and thoughtful commentary about planning issues in Philadelphia. Think of these submissions like a newspaper op-ed or column: a short, to-the-point piece about a specific issue that you’re working on or thinking about, intended to shape the conversation.

    Shoot me an email at eyesonthestreet@planphilly.com with your ideas for a guest post.

    Remember: Reasonable people can disagree. Keep it professional, respectful, and fair.

    BE A CITIZEN REPORTER:

    Eyes on the Street is looking for people interested in being Citizen Reporters. On the homepage there will occasionally be assignments for Citizen Reporters listed in “The Hopper” [LINK?]. As a Citizen Reporter, you’ll attend a public neighborhood meeting, take notes and snap digital photos, write it up, and submit it for publication.

    Have your own ideas for coverage? Swell, just send me the info and I’ll get back to you. And, remember, you can always send in a tip too.

    Helpful hints for Citizen Reporters:

    • Attend the event and be sure to take good notes and good digital photos. Take down the names of speakers and the organizations/interests they represent.
    • If something is not clear to you, go ahead and ask questions.  Be sure to let the people you’re speaking to know that you’re writing the meeting up for Eyes on the Street, a blog about Philadelphia’s built environment that’s affiliated with PlanPhilly.
    • Write up the meeting’s important takeaways and interesting points in 500 words or less and submit it to me before 10am the next day along with your photos.
    • Remember: Be fair and report the facts in a balanced way. This is not the place for agendas or venting.
    • Note: There’s no compensation offered other than seeing your name in blazing text on the blog. Still you might have fun, and it’s important to get the word out.

    SUBMIT A PHOTO

    What does your Philadelphia look like? Eyes on the Street is collecting and featuring images of the diverse places and faces that make up this wonderful city. By sharing your photos, you just might see them on the blog.

    How to submit photos:

    1. Sign up for an account at Flickr. You can sign in with a Yahoo, Google or Facebook account.
    2. Join the Eyes on the Street Flickr Group.
    3. Add your Philadelphia photos to our group.

    Photo Submission Tips:

    • Add Titles and Captions. Give each image a title – ideally something short and specific, like “Kids in Swann Fountain.” For captions, be as descriptive as possible. Who is in the picture? Where and when was the picture taken? What’s happening? Please use your full name to get proper credit.
    • Use Tags.  Tags are keywords or labels that will help organize photos. Use tags that are short and accurate, such as “Delaware River” or “Mummers” or “water ice.” If you want to be a superstar, you can also “geotag” your pictures. This tells us exactly where the image was taken.
    • Share. As a member of Eyes on the Street Flickr group, you can click “send to group” and share your photos with us.

    Photo Submission Fine Print:

    By submitting your photo(s) to us, you are agreeing that content is original and in no way infringes on any copyright or trademark. You also agree that it is not plagiarized, libelous, slanderous, misleading, or violates anyone’s rights. Please disclose any conflict of interest you may have in the subject matter.

    By submitting your photo(s), you are also consenting to the use of your submission(s) without restriction on eyesonthestreet.com, planphilly.com, and related media. There is no compensation, but in exchange for the use of your images, any photos published will be credited to the photographer and will link back to their Flickr page.

    Photos, comments, and forum posts on Flickr will be moderated, but will be posted as long as they are relevant and are not abusive.

    ASK A QUESTION

    Eyes on the Street wants to help its readers get answers to their tricky questions. Feel free to ask the “Help Desk” your questions about a particular site, development, or project, as well as questions that relate to process, programs, or initiatives.

    Email eyesonthestreet@planphilly.com with “HelpDesk” in the subject.

    SUGGEST A PERSON / ORGANIZATION

    All over the city individuals are doing their part to take care their neighborhoods, blocks, properties, and each other. Good work does not have to go unnoticed. Who is making your corner of Philadelphia better? Let me know so I can highlight their efforts in “Good Neighbor.”

    Is there a leader, organization, or program that you think is improving Philadelphia’s built environment? I’d love to talk to them for the series, “Feet On The Ground.”

    Make your suggestions via email: eyesonthestreet@planphilly.com

    COMMENTS

    Your participation is key to the success of this blog. Feel free to express your opinions, concerns, and hopes by commenting on Eyes on the Street posts. Candid, respectful conversation is valued. Please share your thoughts, ask questions, and engage with members of the community here.

    Comments will be moderated, but not edited. Anything abusive, lewd, overtly commercial, or profane is not acceptable and will not be published. When commenting, please use your real name (or first name initials and last name).

    For even finer print, visit PlanPhilly’s Privacy Policy.

    Comments Closed

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